Matcha Pound Cake

Have you ever had matcha pound cake before? Well, you should try this cake then! It is soft and moist, and is filled with the lovely aroma of matcha! It definitely adds a delicious twist to a normal pound cake.

Matcha is literally green tea in powder form. It is typically consumed as a hot beverage and famous mostly in Japan.

While green tea is typically made by seeping green tea leaves in hot water (and the leaves are discarded afterwards), matcha tea on the other hand, comes in finely ground, powder form that is mixed directly into hot water and consumed.

Matcha is increasingly used not only as a beverage but also in many other delicacies and desserts. It imparts a lovely earthy and nutty taste and, I must say, when made into a pound cake, it definitely is a dessert worth trying!

This matcha pound cake is adapted from my pound cake recipe here, and instead of baking it into a round cake, I choose to make it in a loaf pan. If you wish to make a round cake, bake it in a 7-inches round tin (this recipe will make a 2 inches high round cake) and reduce the baking time by 10 minutes.

I choose to decorate my cake with a simple dredge of icing sugar. You can also add a simple glaze icing drizzle or a chocolate ganache drizzle to it if you wish.

Given the sturdy texture of pound cakes, this matcha pound cake is excellent for stacking too. You can double the recipe below and bake it in two 7-inches round cake tin. Fill and cover the cakes with your choice of frosting for a lovely matcha flavored celebration cake.

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How to Make Matcha Pound Cake

Ingredients

• Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt
• Granulated sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Milk
• Matcha powder
• Vanilla essence

Mixing the cake batter

This cake is made using the creaming method, i.e. by creaming the butter and sugar as the first step, before adding all other ingredients in.

1. Measure sugar into a bowl.
2. Add butter.
3. Cream both the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take at least 2 minutes.
4. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure there is no butter left on the sides.
5. Once the butter and sugar are well creamed, add the eggs. Add these one at a time, and each time, beat until all the traces of the egg are no longer visible before adding the next egg in.
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Adding the dry ingredients and milk

1. Next, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder into a large bowl. Fold these sifted dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternately with milk. You should do this in 3 batches. Start by folding in one-third of the dry ingredients.
2. Next, add half of the milk. Mix well.
3. Continue with the second third of the dry ingredients.
4. Fold them in followed by the last batch of milk. Mix well.
5. Finally, add the final third of the sifted dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl and fold them in until well combined.
6. And lastly, add the vanilla essence. Mix until it's all combined.

Baking the cake

1. Pour the batter into a well-greased and floured loaf tin measuring 8 inches by 4 inches.
2. Level the top and bake the matcha pound cake for 45 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius.

Check for doneness when the cake is 40 minutes through baking by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, or with moist cake crumbs, the cake is ready and can be removed from the oven. If there is still wet batter sticking to the skewer, continue baking the cake until the 45 minutes is up.

Remove the baked matcha pound cake from the oven. Let it rest in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes. Use a jam knife to loosen the sides of the cake and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Place the cake upright while cooling.

To ensure the cake remains moist, cover it with a piece of kitchen towel while cooling it. And if the cake is not intended to be served immediately, wrap it with cling wrap while it is still warm and refrigerate it. Remove from the fridge and let it return to room temperature before unwrapping. Dredge the top with some icing sugar before cutting.

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Notes

Difference between green tea and matcha

• Green tea and matcha leaves from the same plant species. Both have long been consumed as beverages. Green tea is often in crushed leaves (similar to other black teas) and is typically prepared by seeping the leaves in hot water. The leaves are then discarded and the tea consumed as it is.
• Matcha, on the other hand, comes in a finely ground, powder form. Unlike green tea, matcha powder is mixed in water and consumed as such. It can be sweetened or made into a latte by adding milk or cream.
• For this matcha pound cake, you need to you the matcha powder and not the green tea leaves. The powder is sifted together with flour to break any lumps and then mixed into the cake batter.

Can you adjust the amount of matcha powder in this matcha pound cake?

• Yes, you certainly can. I have used 7g of matcha powder (approximately 1 level tablespoon). The resulting cake has an average matcha flavoring. This amount is just nice to give the cake an obvious green color to it too.
• If you wish to increase the amount of matcha powder in the cake or even decrease it, you certainly can. While is it ok to make small adjustments, do take note that the final results of the cake may vary if you adjust the amount significantly.

Why does the batter curdle sometimes?

• Sometimes, cakes made using the creaming method (i.e. where the butter and sugar are creamed first before adding other ingredients in) tend to curdle at the point the eggs are added into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
• This happens because the butter and eggs are of a different temperature. Ideally, both the butter and eggs should be at room temperature. If one of them is cold, the cake batter tends to curdle.
• To avoid this, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. If the curdling still happens, fold in some flour. Do not add the milk until the batter is no longer curdled. Once it is smooth (after adding the flour), continue with the liquids and bake as usual.

How to ensure the matcha cake remains moist?

• The most important tip is to not overbake the cake. Given the cake tin size of 8 inches by 4 inches, this cake requires 45 minutes in the oven at 165 degrees Celsius. Nevertheless, check to see if the cake is ready after 40 minutes by inserting a skewer in the center. If it comes out without any wet cake batter, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven.
• The other tip in ensuring your matcha pound cake remains moist is by wrapping it in cling wrap and refrigerating it while it is still warm. Do this for at least 1 to 2 hours. And then remove the cake from the fridge, let it warm up to room temperature and then remove the cling wrap. Dredge the icing sugar on and cut it into slices.
• Wrapping the cake while it is still warm helps keep the moisture in the cake, and this keeps it moist.

Storing the matcha pound cake

• This matcha pound cake lasts at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days, provided it is handled without any contact with moisture. It is best refrigerated if intended to be kept longer. Always keep the cake covered to avoid it from drying up.

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Matcha Pound Cake Recipe

Here is the full printable version of my matcha pound cake recipe.

And that's my quick and easy matcha pound cake recipe for you.

Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Matcha Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate Centers and Sugar Glaze
• Old School Butter Pound Cake with Buttercream Frosting
• Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
• Banana Pound Cake
• Lime Pound Cake with Easy Lime Glaze

Happy baking 🙂